Johan Cruijff will forever be remembered as one of the best players and coaches of all time, but back in 1994, his Barcelona side underestimated Milan, who secured an historic 4-0 victory in the Champions League Final.

Forget the last 15 years during which Milan have failed to leave their mark on the Champions League: the Serie A giants remain one of the most successful clubs in the competition, having lifted the trophy seven times. Only Real Madrid have more with 15.

Back in the days, Milan were the team to beat as they reached three consecutive Champions League Finals from 1993 to 1995.

On May 18, 1984, they won the fifth Champions League in their history, beating Cruyff’s Barcelona 4-0 in Athens.

On the eve of the game, the Catalans’ coach looked beyond confident, telling the media: “Barcelona are favourites. We’re more complete, competitive and experienced than [in the 1992 final] at Wembley. Milan are nothing out of this world. They base their game on defence; we base ours on attack.”

Barcelona had already won the Champions League (European Cup) in 1992, beating Sampdoria at Wembley Stadium.

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Cruijff’s words surely produced a positive effect in the Milan squad, as Marcel Desailly, one of the legendary players of that Rossoneri team, said in a recent interview with the Italian Football Podcast.

“His words helped a lot. The coach didn’t give the speech at the hotel but in the dressing room, with the assistant coach who had a copy of the newspaper with the quote that we were crap,” said the former France defender.

“What are you talking about? We had Donadoni, Albertini, Savicevic and me all international players. So, saying that Milan wasn’t anything special as we were about to win the Serie A, really motivated us.

“Capello and his assistants were very, very smart by giving us the adrenaline to make the difference. Barcelona was a bit deluded in their motivation. Because they had already won La Liga a couple of weeks earlier.

“So, automatically their adrenaline had dropped, so to bring back into the system the motivation back against a Milan that was like a wolf, they couldn’t make it. And also, with an amazing Marcel Desailly, they couldn’t make it [laughs].”

The last time Milan won the Champions League was in 2007, again in Athens, but against Liverpool, with Carlo Ancelotti in charge.

Jonathan David has made headlines in his first season in Serie A, but there’s another Canadian player attracting attention in the Peninsula: Sassuolo midfielder Ismaël Koné.

With six goals in 30 Serie A games this season, Sassuolo and Canada midfielder Koné has emerged as one of the most exciting players in Italy’s top flight.

The 23-year-old moved to the Mapei Stadium from Marseille in the summer of 2025, so this is his first season in Serie A.

Sassuolo had a turbulent start to the season marked by inconsistency, showing flashes of brilliance that were as thrilling and unpredictable as a high-stakes session at Rocketplay casino Canada. While the team struggles to find their rhythm on the pitch, fans can find much more reliable excitement and top-tier rewards by diving into the action themselves

However, the Neroverdi, coached by 2006 Italy World Cup winner Fabio Grosso, continued the campaign with some convincing results and performances, securing survival with several games to spare.

One of their best games was on March 1, 2026, when they beat Atalanta 2-1 at the Mapei Stadium.

Koné opened the account at minute 23, receiving praise from his coach at full-time.

“It was a crazy game. The lads wrote their names in the history books of this club,” Grosso told DAZN.

“We had been looking for the icing on the cake, and this was the icing with a big cherry on top. Our opponents were coming off the Champions League, but are also very strong. Our defenders were solid and determined; it’s not easy to keep that concentration for 90 minutes.

“We’re glad to have picked up some important points, and to achieve it with a performance like this.”

Juventus striker David has made headlines in both good and bad ways in Turin, as expectations for the ex-Lille striker were high when he moved to the Allianz Stadium on a free transfer last summer.

His compatriot Koné has been somewhat more consistent than the striker, even though the Sassuolo midfielder has undoubtedly faced less pressure than David has at Juventus.

Even after his goal against Bologna, David received mixed comments from Italian pundits.

“I think David was more involved in other games than in this one, but he’s well-liked by the group, and his teammates defended him,” said ex-Milan and Italy midfielder Massimo Ambrosini.

“Spalletti has said he needs a striker who can do different things, but he has improved. I don’t see in him the ruthlessness of a penalty-box killer, something he had before arriving here. He’s always done it throughout his career, but he hasn’t shown it here yet.”

It’s undeniable that Koné has made a name for himself in his first season in Serie A, not just with his goals, but also with the impressive stamina and quality he’s shown in the middle of the park at the Mapei Stadium. Watch out for him at the 2026 World Cup and prepare for a summer of transfer speculation on the ex-Marseille man.